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‘We need the literature of other countries to expand our
horizons and stimulate our ideas. Without it, we are not only
diminished, we are starved’
(The Times, Magnus Linklater 29/06/05)
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Moon of Kyiv (The)
by Gianni Rodari
Age Range: 6-8
In 1955, beloved Italian author Gianni Rodari wrote “The Moon of Kyiv”, a poem that reminds us all about our shared humanity and that, no matter where we’re from or live, we all exist under the same moon. Rodari’s beautiful verse has so much resonance today with the terrible conflict in Ukraine and in the days following the outbreak of war, these evocative words became a call for peace.
This twenty-line verse is in the form of a conversation with the moon. “Who knows if the moon of Kyiv is as beautiful as the moon of Rome…”. Is it the same or a sister moon? The moon replies that it is always the same moon in all parts of the world serving everyone “my moonbeams don’t need passports to travel and live free.”
Rodari’s poem is an apt reminder that we all share one world. As Michael Morpurgo says on the back of the book “Read this book, look up to the moon, know it shines on the faces of the children in Ukraine, on everyone everywhere who is living through war and longing for peace.”
Beatrice Alemaga’s gorgeous illustrations are childlike with simple shapes and heavy crayon outlines. Using a palette of colours mirroring the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag on a brown background the artwork shows solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The final spread shows optimism that light will finally triumph over such terrible darkness as children are seen sitting on swings suspended from the moon.
Walker Books will be donating 100 per cent of the net profit will be donated to the Save the Children fund for supporting children impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.